So whaddya say ~ can we let the little fella sleep this year?

Yep ~ it's almost Groundhog Day again. 

That sad, sad day that lets us know Winter is already half over.  

But I can't help but smile since we're expecting over a foot of snow

over the next few days ~ a sure sign that

Spring is still a far way off. 

Perhaps we can spare the little guy from having to pop out

 to check the weather first thing in the morning ~ perhaps it

would be kind to let him just sleep in on Feb 2nd this year.  

He'll probably appreciate the extra zzzzz's ~ he'll

need his energy for skiing in the moonlight!

Really?????

One can only imagine the calls and/or emails that prompted the WI Department of Financial Institutions to add the following to their website:

Whew!

You'd think I'd learn my lesson ~ that I'd keep up on the paperwork associated with this fun little business of mine.  But, oh no ~ once again this week I had to deal with a year's worth of receipts, sales sheets, tax returns, report filings, bank statements, etc, etc.

A friend suggested I employ an accounting troll to help me.  How silly is that!  Everyone knows that those trolls have a unquenchable appetite for paper and would just chew right through those precious bits ~ and then have the nerve to pretend they don't know what you're talking about when you catch them.

No, I just need to keep on top of things in 2011.

Feel free to remind me throughout the year, dear friends.

Red Riding Hood and Sweetheart Slippers on eBay

On eBay now through Sunday Jan 30th:

            From the Cobblestone Tails Series:

~ Red Riding Hood ~

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110639089717

and 

Pink Sweetheart Slippers

for Riley and friends

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110639140530

Moving Day!

No, we're not actualy moving ~ but I've spent the day moving into my new "sewing box."

Some new furniture is coming soon for our home and it meant the loss of the cabinet that used to sit next to my favorite sewing chiar.  I knew I needed something to replace it and purchased this jewelry armoire. 

It's perfect! 

I must admit it ~ I love organizing everything.  That I credit (or is it blame?) on the fact that Martha Stewart was coming  into her heyday during my early housewife years.

There are lots of tiny drawers ~

 ~ some even divided into smaller sections ~
 

~ so there's room enough for all my threads, pins,

needles, cotter pins and disks, tools, glass eyes,

stuffing, beads, tail cording, etc, etc.

Certainly not its originally intended use,

but it sure does work for me!

And it will always remind me of the very snowy night my husband and I went shopping for it ~ and how he carried the floor model all around the store so I could see how it would look next to our other furnituire.  What a guy!

~ Meet Trixie Porterfield of Cobblestone Circle ~

Visit her auction 

 The problem with Trixie Porterfield is that she can't say 'No' to anyone ~ and that's how she caught little Katie Iversham's cold. You see, Miss Kittiebittle had called Trixie Monday morning, asking if she could please come to school right away to help chaperone the field trip to the zoo, and true to her nature, Trixie was out the door in five minutes flat. When the class approached the reptile house with the larger than life drawings of snakes on the doors, Katie had flung herself in panic at Trixie, jumping up and locking her trembling arms around Trixie's neck.

Sitting on the bench outside the building while they waited for the others to emerge suited Trixie just fine (she actually shared the little girl's feelings about reptiles) but poor Katie ~ well, let's just say there was a lot of trembling and sobbing and yes, quite a few sneezes as well.

Predictably, on Wednesday, Trixie woke up with a nasty cold. Her darling husband, Jasper, made sure she had everything at hand to sooth her symptoms before he left for the day to cover his appointed rounds. He filled the hot water bottle for her, brought a fresh box of soft tissues, wrapped her shawl around her shoulders and even gave her a nice cup of her favorite lemon tea ~ with strict instructions that she was drink plenty of it all day.

Trixie truly appreciates what a very doting husband she has, but at the same time resents him for his remarkably strong immune system. She has literally never known him to be ill for more than a few hours ~ and here she sat, knowing there were at least 5 more days of this misery ahead of her.

She was actually feeling much better this morning ~ perhaps due to the picture postcard views outside her bedroom window of the fresh snow~ and she briefly thought of getting dressed and tackling some light household chores, but when Jasper came home for lunch with a new novel for her . . . well . . . it would be a shame to waste such a good book reading day.

Trixie will be on eBay through Sunday Jan 23rd.

A bit of unplanned exposure for fellow bear makers

You just never know who might stumble upon your website.

This week I received a lovely email from an elementary teacher who has been using a page from my website in her classroom.  It seems Ms. Golding's class is doing a unit on Teddy Bears and she found the Links page of my site quite useful. 

I must admit it made me smile to think of the students visiting all my bear maker friends around the globe.  I know they were seeing some incredible works of art and exploring a slice of life they might not otherwise discover.  How many new arctophiles were being born?

During their studies, one of her students, Ashleigh, had found a nice site on the History of Teddy Bears which she forwarded to me.  The link is now also on my site.  Thank-you Ashleigh!

For me?

Ya gotta love a guy who brings you

flowers for no particular reason at all.  :)

I am one lucky lady.

Adieu

The first days of a new year usually hold a sadness for me.  Although I enjoy the freshness of the new beginning (hopefully with a fresh coat of snow on the ground), putting away all the holiday trimmings always tugs at my heart.

This year is particularly hard.  You see, for the past few years I have decorated our large tree in the living room in a rather elegant sophistication using only gold and crystal.   But this year I used every ornament that has made it way into my collection.  It was a very sentimental experience rediscovering them again ~ helping me remember the many gentle souls who have touched my life.

 

There are those very special ones that were made for me by my children ~ and those I made with my children.   I am lucky to have a few that hung on the trees from my own childhood ~ happy to have them still traveling with me.   I even have the Mr. and Mrs. Santa I bought as a child with my own money at

Hill's Department Store. 

Some were constructed by my parents and a couple of them even hung on my grandparents' trees long ago.   Others were gifts to commemorate milestones or adventures in my life ~ and of course those picked up at various art fairs over the years.  Each one holds a tender memory for me.

And one in particular even strikes me today as

an interesting piece of foreshadowing.

They will all be packed away in a few days,

waiting for me to rediscover them again next year. 

Nostalgia is definitely winning over

sophistication in my home these days.